Honda adds Crosstour to 2010 lineup

Honda is joining the growing list of manufacturers introducing SUVs that look like sedans or sport coupes, which, remembering a certain American Motors vehicle of the 1980s, isn’t an entirely new concept.

The crossover sedan from Honda, called the Accord Crosstour, will arrive this fall and will be built on the chassis of the Accord sedan.

A similar sedan-crossover model was introduced last fall by Toyota as the Venza, and a higher-end model with the same design arrives later this year from Acura, Honda’s luxury brand. That vehicle is the ZDX, which essentially is an upscale version of the Crosstour.

BMW introduced the similar X6 crossover sedan for 2008, which has the same design concept but a much higher price — ranging into the mid-$60,000s.

This past week, Honda handed out the first two photos of the Accord Crosstour, which Honda says “evolves the crossover utility vehicle (CUV) concept by integrating a sleek and aerodynamic shape that blends sporty, low-profile contours with versatile CUV functionality.”

It looks a lot like a four-door hatchback version of the Accord, but also bears some resemblance to the AMC Eagle of the mid-1980s, arguably the first crossover utility vehicle (defined as a cross between a car and an SUV).

I tested one of the AMC Eagles in 1985 and thought it was a pretty decent vehicle until I got it stuck up to its frame in the sand outside of Phoenix. It had tricked me into thinking that with its four-wheel drive, the Eagle could take on the desert just like a Jeep CJ.

But I forgot about the need for large tires and low-range gearing, neither of which was offered on the Eagle.

Honda hasn’t said yet whether the Crosstour will be offered with all-wheel drive, but early reports hint that it will be available. But even if it is, the system won’t have the traditional low-range gearing of true off-road vehicles, and certainly won’t be capable of serious trail riding.

It will have both a higher profile and more ground clearance than the typical sedan, in keeping with its crossover utility vehicle design. Standard will be front-wheel drive.

“Our concept is to broaden the appeal of the Accord lineup by leveraging traditional Accord strengths of fun-to-drive performance and handling while also adapting to dramatic shifts in the light-truck marketplace,” American Honda Motor Co. Vice President Erik Berkman said.

“The Accord Crosstour accomplishes that by offering a modern interpretation of a CUV while integrating the refinement and efficiency of a premium sedan.”

While some of the exterior design mimics that of the current Accord sedan, the Crosstour will have a different grille and what Honda calls an “aggressive rear stance.” The roofline curves down to the rear bumper, unlike the boxy rear ends of traditional SUVs and most crossovers.

Despite the steeply raked roof, the Crosstour will have ample cargo space that can handle larger items that wouldn’t fit in a sedan’s trunk. The rear liftgate allows for easy loading of bulky items. The middle seat will have a fold-down design to expand the cargo area.

The driving position, higher than that of the typical sedan, is one of the features giving the Crosstour the feel of a utility vehicle.

“We know SUV buyers like the commanding view of the road that comes with a high eye-point, and (they) like the comforts of … an SUV,” Berkman said. “This vehicle meets the needs of buyers looking for those attributes, yet (who) at the same time want an image that is different from a conventional SUV.”

No prices have been announced yet, but the Crosstour will be positioned as the top of the Accord line when it goes on sale later this year, Honda said.

That should mean that the base price will be somewhere around $30,000, as prices for the 2010 Accord range from $20,905 to $31,155 (plus $710 freight).

Honda already has a crossover utility vehicle based on the Accord. It’s the Pilot, which also is related to the Honda Odyssey minivan, also derived from the Accord chassis. The price range for the 2010 Pilot is $27,895 to $40,245 (plus $710 freight).

The Pilot is taller and boxier than the Crosstour, however, and even has room for seven passengers with its optional third row of seating. The Crosstour will have just two rows of seats for a capacity of five.

Specifications and other details of the Crosstour have not been released yet, including what engine and transmission choices will be offered.

But the vehicle probably will be available with the same engines used in the Accord sedan.

Those include a 190-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder and a 271-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6, which also is the engine offered in the Pilot. Because the recent spikes in gasoline prices greatly increased consumer interest in the four-cylinder engines, Honda would be remiss not to offer a four in the Crosstour.

Although Honda offers five- and six-speed manual transmissions in the Accord, I would expect the Crosstour to be available only with an automatic. Honda offers a five-speed automatic in the 2010 Accord, which probably will be the same transmission used in the Crosstour.

But Honda could take the 3.7-liter engine of the Acura ZDX, along with its new six-speed automatic transmission, and use those in the Crosstour. That engine also is used in the Acura MDX, which is a fancy version of the Pilot. Both of these Acura models are based on the Accord chassis, as well.

The 3.7-liter engine turns out 300 horsepower and 270 foot-pounds of torque.

Obviously, no fuel-economy ratings have been announced yet for the Crosstour. But the Accord with the four-cylinder engine and automatic transmission is rated at 21 mpg city/31 highway, while the V-6 model is rated at 19/29.

The Pilot, with the V-6 engine and automatic transmission, has ratings of 17 city/23 highway when equipped with front-wheel drive and 16/22 with all-wheel drive.

Acura’s new ZDX has ratings of 16 city/22 highway and comes only with all-wheel drive.